How to Decide on the Best Answer for Multiple Choice Questions

See which answer makes sense grammatically.

The best preparation for any kind of test is to study the material and attend classes regularly. Even with hard study, however, multiple choice tests are a welcome sight for many students because the right answer is guaranteed to be among the choices. To improve the likelihood of choosing the correct answer, keep a few tips for taking multiple choice tests up your sleeve.

Instructions

1. 

   Read the question with the answers covered.

   Before reading the test question, cover the answers, then read the question and try to answer without looking at the choices.

2. 

   Cross out the answers you are know are wrong.

   Eliminate the obvious wrong answers.

3. Read fill-in-the-blank multiple-choice questions with each possible answer inserted into the blank. Look for grammatical matches. Plural verbs should match plural subjects. Singular verbs should match singular subjects. Ask yourself if the sentence makes sense with any of the possible answers.

4. 

   Spend only about a minute on each question.

   Move on to the next question if you cannot determine the answer in about a minute. You can come back to it later.

5. 

   The same words may be used in both the question and one answer.

   See if any of the same words or phrases used in the question are repeated in any of the answers.

6. 

   Avoid erasing.

   Try not to second-guess yourself and keep changing your answer.

7. 

   Look for the best answer.

   Pay attention to minor details. Sometimes teachers create potential answers that are similar. Choose the response with details that best answer the question.

8. 

   Do not guess if you will be penalized.

   Only guess an answer if you will not be docked points for doing so. Some teachers take points off for guessing.

9. 

   The funny answer is probably the wrong one.

   Humorous answers are usually not the correct choices.

10. 

    Wrong answers are more likely to have typos.

    A typing error in any of the choices may be a red flag that that it is not the right answer. Teachers are more likely to thoroughly check the spelling of the correct answer and may not catch a typo in one of the wrong choices.

11. 

    Revisit difficult questions.

    Go back and try the questions you could not answer the first time through the test, if you have time after finishing the other questions.

Tips & Warnings

• If you just cannot figure out the answer and must guess, pick answer C.

References

• Taking Multiple Choice Exams
• Multiple Choice Exams: Multiple Choice Test Taking Strategies
• Tips for Taking Multiple Choice Tests

Resources

• Guidelines When Taking Multiple-Choice Tests